1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to enclosure devices, and more particularly to an enclosure device for enclosing and protecting a marine drive unit of a boat or similar vessel.
2. Description of Related Art
There are various prior art propeller protective assemblies that are adapted to be mounted directly on a motor to protect the propeller. Examples of such constructions include the following:
Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,686, teaches a boat propeller safety enclosure for the covering of the propeller of a boat during road transportation. The enclosure has a cinchable opening for ease of attachment and removal and for tightly fitting about a propeller. A reflective and/or brightly colored surface is provided.
Huffman, U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,200, teaches a safety light apparatus designed to be detachably mountable on a hub of the propellered motor. The apparatus preferably comprises a housing with a mounting recess, which is adapted to receive the hub, formed in a rear side thereof and a light assembly disposed on a front side of the housing.
Morton, U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,064, teaches a protective propeller cover that includes a flexible sleeve into which buoyant material is placed to provide a buoyant enclosure, and a distal end that is releasably secured about the propeller. The buoyant enclosure is positioned adjacent to the propeller and is sized to extend above the water line when the propeller is positioned beneath the water line. The buoyant enclosure serves to protect swimmers from direct contact with the propeller when swimming in proximity to the boat.
Other similar structures are disclosed in Rinck, U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,955; Steep et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,075; Pignatelli et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,136; Currey, U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,016; Kinsey et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,239; Altimus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,875; Driscoll, U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,576; and Martt, U.S. Pat. No. 2,795,432.
Other devices that are attached to a boat trailer are adapted for other purposes. Snodgrass, U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,268, for example, teaches a boat trailer that includes a rear end protrusion end members that extend from the rear of the trailer to form a V-shaped recess for guiding and centering a boat being loaded onto the trailer. Whipple, U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,073, teaches a boat trailer lighting system that includes an electrical light assembly having an electric lamp rotatably attached to a skeg mounting bracket which is removably attached to an outboard motor skeg.
The above-described references are hereby incorporated by reference in full.
The prior art teaches propeller protective devices that are mounted on the propeller or motor. However, the prior art does not teach an enclosure device mountable upon a trailer for enclosing a marine drive unit of a boat when the boat is on the trailer. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.